Some know real attacks in real life
ï‚· 2008 SwissQuantum network attack: In 2008, the SwissQuantum network, which was
one of the first experimental quantum cryptography networks, was attacked. The
attacker was able to intercept the quantum signal, and by exploiting a vulnerability in
the detector system, was able to gain access to the key. The attack was detected by
the system's monitoring mechanisms, and the key was regenerated before any
sensitive information could be compromised.
ï‚· 2010 Vienna QKD network attack: In 2010, researchers at the Vienna University of
Technology reported that they had successfully intercepted a quantum key in a
quantum cryptography network. The researchers were able to exploit a weakness in
the system's implementation, and by manipulating the polarization of the photons,
were able to gain access to the key. The attack was a proof-of-concept demonstration
rather than a real-world attack, and the researchers emphasized that the attack was
only successful because of a specific vulnerability in the system they were using.
ï‚· 2017 Chinese satellite Micius QKD experiment: In 2017, researchers in China
conducted a successful quantum cryptography experiment using the Micius satellite.
However, they also reported that they had detected a number of attempted attacks
on the system during the experiment. The attacks involved attempts to blind the
satellite's detector system using laser pulses, which would have prevented the
detection of any quantum
ï‚· 2019 MIT research on Trojan horse attacks: In 2019, researchers at MIT published a
paper demonstrating a potential Trojan horse attack on a commercially available
quantum cryptography system. The attack involved inserting a small, malicious device
into the system, which could leak information about the key to an attacker. The
researchers emphasized that the attack was only successful because of a specific
vulnerability in the system they were using, but they also noted that such
vulnerabilities are difficult to detect and could be present in other systems.